NJ considers taxing tap water

[Brian4Liberty]

Actually mentioned in the post. If water were privatized and the seller wanted to raise prices would it get the same response as the current distributor wanting to raise their prices?

"Why do they hate poor people?"

So you are attempting to equate a tax with the cost of a product. Sorry, major fail. The government collecting taxes is outside the marketplace. It is simply robbery by an entity with enforcement authority and guns.

McDonald’s can charge what they can in a competitive market. If the government comes in and says we are taking an additional cut, that has nothing to do with the market, other than potentially distorting the market.

[oyarde]

I have plenty of water . If I use the water utility I pay sales tax and a price per gallon . If I use well or pond water I do not . I chose to live somewhere where there is plenty and I have choices . $#@! the govt .

[Keith and stuff]

NJ just increased taxes by billions. I wouldn't put anything past those politicians.

[Anti Globalist]

Can't say I'm surprised. This is dirty Jersey we're talking about.

[pcosmar]

?????

Taxpayer funded utilities,, are tax funded.
Paying for water they already paid for. with tax
And are are going to be taxes again,, for using the water.

is it the "new math"?? or is this $hit old.

[devil21]

At what point do people start recognizing that these are the "carbon taxes" long talked about? Taxes on your very existence, instead of your consumption choices.

[timosman]

At what point do people start recognizing that these are the "carbon taxes" long talked about? Taxes on your very existence, instead of your consumption choices.

You can always refrain from using tap water and become a hobo.

[devil21]

You can always refrain from using tap water and become a hobo.

I like well water, personally. Run it through a basic filter to remove excess minerals. Also avoids that whole fluoride-makes-you-stupid thing.

[Kilrain]

[B]It would add 10 cents for every 1,000 gallons of water a home uses. Smith says that will only add $32 a year to the "average" water bill.

What the what? That means the average household blows through 320,000 gallons per year. How is that even possible? We don't skimp on water and we use about 25,000 gallons per year. It's not like New Jersey is an irrigated desert.

Water is a commodity like everything else. You get it delivered to your home and you pay for it. Though it seems weird imposing a tax when you should simply charge rates that cover the maintenance costs to begin with. If it's a public utility supplied by local or state government, that is.

Of course, state-enforced water distribution is its own special kind of evil. Here, they force people to hook up to the municipal grid and make you pay through the nose, as much as $30,000-$40,000 in hook-up fees, even if you have a working private water and sewage system.

[Keith and stuff]

25k gallons? 4 people showering would use more than that. Cooking and cleaning would use that much. Your family is very good with water.

[Kilrain]

25k gallons? 4 people showering would use more than that. Cooking and cleaning would use that much. Your family is very good with water.

Only two people, but still. We bathe and shower regularly (often several times a day during summer), run the washing and laundry machines at least once a day, water the garden when needed, etc. Maybe we're on the short end when it comes to water consumption, but I still don't see how the average household could use 320,000 gallons a year. It would mean wasting water in close to epic proportions.

[acptulsa]

At what point do people start recognizing that these are the "carbon taxes" long talked about? Taxes on your very existence, instead of your consumption choices.

Sort of like mandatory health insurance?

All of this is certainly reeking of the Soviet mantra--the State owns your ass, and you owe the State for feeding you as a child.

[juleswin]

Whats the difference between taxing water and raising the rates? In my area water(electricity, trash etc) prices go up every so often and no politician is stupid enough to call it a tax. This is just bizarre

[devil21]

Whats the difference between taxing water and raising the rates? In my area water(electricity, trash etc) prices go up every so often and no politician is stupid enough to call it a tax. This is just bizarre

The difference is where the money goes. A tax is a surcharge used to extract more of your labor, and a separate accounting entry, that can be easily redirected and deposited into a single account somewhere for someone else's use. Raising the price of a commodity (or service) is a monetary function. A tax raises revenue outside of monetary price functions of a commodity.

[Kilrain]

The difference is where the money goes. A tax is a surcharge used to extract more of your labor, and a separate accounting entry, that can be easily redirected and deposited into a single account somewhere for someone else's use. Raising the price of a commodity (or service) is a monetary function. A tax raises revenue outside of monetary price functions of a commodity.

It depends on whether the water provider is government or private. Here, our water provider is the municipality, though contracted out to a private company. It wouldn't really matter if they simply raised rates (which they do repeatedly) or if they taxed it (more than they already do). It would all end up in the same place.

And not to get stuck on the 320,000 gallons per year, but I ran the math, and if we were to use that much, our water bill would be in excess of $5,000 a year. And I don't really think our water is overpriced. I wouldn't have any complaints if we just had to pay for the water we use. I whine more about how we have to pay more in fixed fees for being hooked up to the water grid than we pay for actual water consumption. Water costs like $15/1,000 gallons, which seems perfectly fair. The fixed rate for having access to water is a larger part of our water bill than what we pay for our actual consumption.

[devil21]

It depends on whether the water provider is government or private. Here, our water provider is the municipality, though contracted out to a private company. It wouldn't really matter if they simply raised rates (which they do repeatedly) or if they taxed it (more than they already do). It would all end up in the same place.

It might end up in the same place or it might not. Only the accountants within the water supplier know for sure. A tax is a particular word with a particular connotation, however.

I'm on a well so all I pay is the jolt of power to run the well pump and the county's biannual "stormwater run off fee".

[Kilrain]

It might end up in the same place or it might not. Only the accountants within the water supplier know for sure. A tax is a particular word with a particular connotation, however.

Unfortunately, it's often just semantics. A fee is a charge is a tax. If the money ends up in government coffers, what's the difference?